How easy is it to be a professional artist model?

February 02nd 2019

How easy is it to be a professional artist model?

A life-drawing models job might look easy. But it isn’t as easy as you may think. What are the skills you may need? In this blog, I write about several things you need to consider if you are thinking about becoming a life-drawing model.

Standing still for a long time

You probably think standing absolutely still for a long time is simple. Have you ever tried it? If you are a wriggler or a twitcher then you might find it difficult.

At school, I remember being told to stand still with my hands on my head for half an hour. I found it almost impossible not to move. After about five minutes my arms felt numb and my shoulders began to throb. I had to concentrate very hard not to let my arms drop to my side. That’s what models do every day.

Stamina for professional artist models

Artist models are trained to stand, sit, lie still. That’s what they do every day. How long they keep a single pose depends on the complexity of the position. They do long poses, short poses and everything in between.

Imagine standing on one leg leaning forward with your arms in the air. This is the sort of pose usually categorised as a short pose because it is hard to maintain the pose for a long time. You need strength, stamina and training to keep such a position for longer than say 10 minutes. It is a skill.

Are you shy and do you feel the cold?

You can’t be shy as a professional artist model. It just doesn’t work. Being a professional artist model means you spend most of your working day naked. Yes, without clothes on. You spend hours on end standing, lying or sitting in positions that let the artist focus and draw the human figure from life. It is a skill.

If you feel the cold you will really notice it if you are lying or sitting for a long artist pose. It is usual for there to be a heater placed very close to the model. Or for the room to be heated. But if you a sensitive to drafts you may think twice about becoming a model.

Read more about why Fun Life Draw always works with professional models.